Junk food tax needed

Regarding “Vindication for soda tax” (April 20): Although consumers might be opting for other beverages now that cities like Berkeley have instituted a soda tax, will this measure truly “nudge” people toward healthier nutrition? National statistics still indicate that about twothirds of all Americans are overweight and that too many children and young adults are becoming diabetic.

People might not be drinking as much sugary soda as before, but they’re still consuming lots of high-calorie, high-fat foods like chips, burgers, pizza and candy. Perhaps what is really needed is a junk food tax.

Jennifer Erickson-James, San Francisco

Fine the fare evaders

Regarding “Millions lost annually to cheats, BART says” (April 20): BART officials are searching for solutions to their fare evasion problem, which reportedly costs them millions annually. Why not do what is done in Europe? Fare evasion is a problem there, too, but they know how to deal with it.

They know how many evaders they catch annually, they estimate how many they don’t catch and they set the fines so those who are caught pay the fares of all fare evaders, caught or not. Viola: no lost revenue.

Jeff Johnson, San Francisco

Reduce ride-hailing services

Regarding “Climate change making air dirtier” (April 19): Perhaps it’s time to take a serious look at Uber/Lyft cars in the city. Per the San Francisco treasurer’s report in November 2016, on any given day, there are up to 45,000 of these “ride sharers for those who refuse to wait more than 30 seconds” commuting into the city from elsewhere in the hopes of finding paying fares.

By my informal count, up to half of all cars on the street are bearing corporate stickers attesting to that. But many are just circling endlessly and empty or are idling at the curb, contributing to our air pollution, our traffic congestion (while they try to navigate a city with which they are unfamiliar and seem to be incapable of pulling clear to the curb) and wear-and-tear on our already potholed streets. It’s time for the city to either outlaw or, at the very least, reduce their numbers. Amy Kuhlmann, San Francisco

Bow out for a younger voice

Regarding “Have a balanced approach” (Letters, April 20): I was incredulous reading the letter supporting Sen. Dianne Feinstein and urging us to “come to the realization that change in Washington, D.C., does not come overnight.” Washington, D.C., did change overnight this Jan. 20, when our thoughtful, deliberative previous president was replaced by a narcissistic incompetent who has threatened to take us to the brink of nuclear war while at the same time installing a kleptocracy that uses the government to enrich his personal fortune.

Sen. Feinstein’s reaction to this crisis has been unacceptable. She needs to understand that we are in immediate peril and that the old ways of working across the aisle are not sufficient. She no longer represents the majority of Californians, and it’s time she bowed out in favor of someone younger and more in tune with the dangers we face. Andrew Mendelsohn, Sunnyvale

Means testing needed

Bay area rent control measures mean well, but they all fail to ensure that those who need assistance to remain in their apartments actually get assistance. San Francisco and newer towns have all implemented schemes based on the age of the structure. Means testing is needed to qualify for receiving a subsidy from a private citizen, a landlord. Those who can afford market rate should pay the true cost of their flats. It is simply unfair that anyone pulling down a six-figure salary have a building owner subsidize their housing costs! Artificially limiting rent on older buildings results in reduced maintenance, making those structures less safe. Means testing will direct assistance to those in need while keeping the financial basis of building upkeep more solid. Ted Loewenberg, San Francisco

Tax other unhealthy foods

Regarding “Soda tax not hurting Berkeley businesses, study concludes” (April 19): The soda tax in Berkeley has its perks, like making people think a little harder about their beverage choices without causing businesses to lose sales. And it’s great that people are veering away from drinks like soda and things with artificial sweeteners and opting for healthier drink options. Although, if you are going to put a tax on soda, shouldn’t we be looking at taxing other unhealthy foods/drinks? The article says that the American Beverage Association did not see any reduction to obesity due to the tax.

Which means that soda, while it is a factor, isn’t truly the source of the obesity epidemic. We should be going after fast-food chains and restaurants that over portion their food. If we are going to tax one of the factors that lead to obesity, we need to tax all of them. I would say that I am against this (soda) tax because not only is it missing the mark in fighting obesity, but we also don’t know where the money is going. In Berkeley, it claims to be going to the city’s general fund, while in Philadelphia, approximately 20 percent of the money raised is going toward employee benefits and other city programs.

Tamara Abu-Dayyeh, San Jose

Tired of the illiberal logic

First Milo Yiannopoulos and now Ann Coulter. What a bunch of Berkeley crybabies. I love their self-referencing, illiberal logic: “I hate what you’re saying, therefore, what you’re saying is hate speech.” Well, there’s lots of things the little dearies need to hear, whether they like it or not. Intelligent students at UC Berkeley ought to march into the president’s office and demand a full refund. Michael Biehl, San Francisco

Senator should show his taxes

State Sen. Scott Wiener’s call for presidential candidates to release five years of tax returns has great merit. I would expand that to call for the certified public accountant audited or reviewed financial statements so that all assets of a candidate are disclosed. The tax and financial statement requirement should apply to all candidates for federal, state and local offices.

The objective is to not just understand the conflicts that may come with great wealth (President Trump and Tom Steyer), but to assure great wealth built while in office (Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and former Mayor Willie Brown) was done legitimately. For Sen. Wiener to prove he is not just grandstanding, he should lead by releasing his tax returns and follow that with reviewed financial statements if he has not done so already. James Wall, San Francisco

Honor system doesn’t work

A major design flaw contributing to BART fare cheating is the location of elevators outside the controlled fare area. While using such elevators at North Berkeley, Downtown Berkeley and Oakland Coliseum, I have frequently seen people who use the elevators to enter and exit stations without paying a fare. Did the designers really think an honor system would work?

Paul Couenhoven, Berkeley